


We Need Each Other

by peachmuffins



Series: They Would Be Okay [1]
Category: The Stanley Parable
Genre: "Enemies" to friends, Escape Pod Ending, Gen, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, M/M, Major canon divergence, Mute Stanley (The Stanley Parable), Swearing, Well... kinda, Zending (The Stanley Parable), am i wrong, but he pretends not to, but he's not supposed to, connected, human narrator eventually, i hope i didn't fuck up stanley as mute please tell me if i wrote him badly, i love this game, literally their entire lives are like, narrator has big gay disease, narrator remembers resets, omg, probably, slightly OOC, stanley remembers resets, they aren't really enemies lmao, they need each other, umm, yeah idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26881882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachmuffins/pseuds/peachmuffins
Summary: Stanley abandons the Narrator in the Boss's Office and, after a few short and happy moments of freedom, he realizes that being alone in this place might not be what he wanted after all.
Relationships: The Narrator & Stanley (The Stanley Parable), The Narrator/Stanley (The Stanley Parable)
Series: They Would Be Okay [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989232
Comments: 14
Kudos: 65





	We Need Each Other

**Author's Note:**

> Could be seen as platonic or romantic really but I'm kinda leaning towards romantic so if you see it as platonic just ignore the tags. Idk that's just bias I think. Anyways, hi! The hype for this fandom has died down but here I am, getting hyperfixated on the game after rewatching it. This is my first time writing for these two, so I hope it's not that bad haha. The Narrator may be slightly OOC but hey, what are you gonna do,,, also I might continue this at some point but I'm not sure. I kinda left it at a closed point but I can make it work if I ever want to continue it. Hope you enjoy reading!
> 
> [EDIT] :: I've added quite a bit and edited a few things after getting some constructive criticism! I hope it's better and thank you so much! It has also come to my attention that I may have subconsciously been inspired by NovaHeart's Narrator/Stanley story (What Lies Within Secrets), so you should go read that as well.

“Stanley paused, and then looked up at the ceiling for a moment. He wondered what would happen if he… He shook his head. He knew he couldn’t think about it with The Narrator present… Stanley, what? What are you planning?” The sudden cut-off from his thoughts being narrated caught Stanley off guard and he almost felt bad for the man (?) upon hearing the subtle confusion and even more subtle fear. Keyword being _almost._ Stanley pushed himself to go forward and step through the door leading out of the room he was in. He waited, wondering if anything would happen. Didn’t doors normally close when he-- The door almost closed on him while he was thinking, but he was able to pull himself backwards. There was no narrator when Stanley blinked and stumbled back slightly. He didn’t even notice it at first.

 _"Narrator?"_ Stanley signed up to the roof. Why did he do that anyways, look up to the roof? It was a strange habit he had developed somewhere along the way, during these… adventures? He wasn’t even sure what to call them anymore. When there was no response, Stanley smiled to himself. It finally set in that he was alone. _Finally,_ he thought, _no voice to tell me what to do and scold me when I don’t do it._ As Stanley started to leave the room, he swore he could hear someone speaking in the room he had nearly entered. It sounded fearful, but Stanley couldn’t force himself to care even if he wanted to. As bad as he felt leaving the Narrator behind, that was all overshadowed by the happiness he felt. He was free.

Stanley walked down the stairs and backtracked through the halls with a new-found happiness bubbling inside of him. It was nice having no one else there… for a bit. At first it was fine, _great_ actually. But as Stanley kept walking the silence started to become louder than his own thoughts. As Stanley decided to take a detour and reached the employee lounge, he found himself wishing for a snarky comment about how long he was taking in there. About how he had gone the wrong way or… something. He couldn’t believe it. He missed the Narrator? What an absurd thing. Missing the one person, the one disembodied voice that had caused him so much annoyance, irritation and complete hatred for the office around him. He tried to sign up to the ceiling once more, _"Narrator, come on… Come back."_ There was once again no response and suddenly Stanley felt a pit in his stomach. _Where is he?_ While he knew the answer to the question, it didn’t stop him from asking it. If the Narrator had as much power as he said he did, why wasn’t he here by now? Stanley sat down in a blue chair. It wasn’t very comfortable. The cushions were actually quite hard. It was uncomfortable and it didn’t make Stanley feel any better about the situation he was in. He stood up and looked around the room, absentmindedly picking at a loose thread on his sleeve. He was actually looking for a distraction from the silence, but he would never admit that. The humming of the soda machine caught Stanley’s attention. It was almost comforting. He took a moment to look through his pockets for coins (even if he knew already that he didn’t have any) and when he couldn’t find any he huffed and rubbed his eyes. It didn't matter, he wasn't really thirsty anyways.

Stanley had decided to keep moving. No point in wishing for something that you wanted gone in the first place. He, soon enough, found himself back at his office. It was too quiet now, a soft and mildly irritating electrical buzzing sound now replacing the Narrator’s voice whenever Stanley even thought about moving. Had that buzzing always been there? He didn’t know. It wasn't as comforting as the soda machine was. Stanley stopped at his door. It was closed. Locked. Stanley shut his eyes and leaned his head against the cold door. This was just a waste of time, he realized. Going back. He should have just stayed with the Narrator and he would at least feel less alone. He wished the Narrator would come back and say something. This was his fault though, as much as he hated to admit it. He was the one that trapped the Narrator in his boss’s office. The one companion he had in this place. What was he thinking? He _wasn't_ thinking, was the thing. Why did he feel so helplessly lost without the Narrator here? Stanley gritted his teeth, wanting to stop the endless questions running through his mind. Stanley kicked the door to his office out of pure anger and felt tears well up in his eyes. It was silent again. There was no more buzzing. _No Stanley, you're okay. You should be happy that he’s gone. You_ _are_ _happy that he's gone. All he’s caused you is pain._ Yes, that was it. That’s why Stanley wanted the Narrator gone. He was the reason why Stanley was killed in some endings and left traumatized from others. Why Stanley was trapped here. It didn't make the loneliness any more bearable, but he knew that it was so much better for him to be without the Narrator. There his thoughts go again. He didn't want to go crazy, not again. That wasn't a great ending to experience. So he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Staying calm was the best thing to do now, whether he was lonely or not. At least he was free to do what he wanted. Stanley looked to his right and saw an open door. Room 428. It startled him slightly, making him flinch back and push himself against the wall opposite to the door. As long as Stanley had worked here he had never seen the door to room 428 open. Ever. He shivered at the light breeze seeming to come out of the dark hall. He didn't know what was inside; no one knew what was in that room. It was pretty much forbidden to talk about (at least for his floor of workers) and there were the typical workplace myths about people talking about it or trying to get a peek inside and just suddenly disappearing. But despite this, after looking around and checking to see if there was someone there the one time he didn't _want_ anyone to see him, Stanley slowly took a few steps inside. It was dark, pitch black almost. He took a deep breath and, out of habit, looked at the ceiling one more time. There was nothing. 

What felt like a long time passed, and Stanley thought all hope had been lost. The door behind him had been closed and he was now stuck walking through what seemed to be endless darkness. His legs hurt (something that never happened in the parable, he had noticed before) and he was wondering if he should just collapse and wait for the world to restart. But then, he saw a light. His heart nearly stopped. All hope wasn't lost, then. He caught himself suddenly running towards it and slowed down slightly. _No need to rush, Stanley. You’ll be there soon enough,_ he thought to himself. When had the voice in his head started to sound more like the Narrator? He rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the embarrassed blush that had creeped onto his face when he realized how connected he and the Narrator really were. Why hadn’t he noticed sooner? No, no. It must have been because he didn’t really have a voice of his own, _especially_ in this place, so he just used someone else’s. The explanation seemed stupid, but Stanley didn’t really mind as long as it wasn't as embarassing as his first thought. He made it to a corner and saw a border of yellow and black on the wall ahead of him. It looked like a sign of sorts, printed on the cement wall. He got a bit closer and the sign ahead of him read, “You are now leaving,” in all capital letters. He felt a surge of hope. Would he be able to escape this time? _Finally?_ He was running again.

Stanley had to walk up quite a few flights of stairs because the elevator didn’t work. He was out of breath, his lungs burned, his legs were shaking. He hadn't been walking for that long, had he? He was on the top floor; however he was supposed to escape, it would probably be here. Stanley had a strange sense of calm shadowing over him. It was unsettling, to say the least. It's always quiet before the storm or… some saying similar to it. But he was so close, so whatever _storm_ Stanley would have to deal with he would deal with it after he got out of this hellscape. Ahead of him, on the wall, Stanley saw a poster. It had a whtie background and dark red text. _Escape pod launch bay, hm? Let’s see..._ There was a lot of smaller text under the illustration, and Stanley had to move a few light cardboard boxes that were pressed against the wall (and by extension, the poster). He read through the first few lines and was only able to get to the third line before realizing that it was useless. His heart sunk and any hope he had left dissipated. _We’re both needed._ A feeling of dread filled Stanley. He needed the Narrator to escape. He needed the Narrator in general, didn’t he? What an upsetting thought… that he would need the person he hated the most. Did he really hate the Narrator, though? Maybe he just hated the situation he was in and needed to take it out on someone. This really wasn’t the time for such revelations. He needed to get out. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave. Not without the Narrator. _His_ narrator. _God, shut up!_ He choked back a sob, sinking down to sit on the floor. There was no way out. If he had to lose the Narrator back at his boss’s office to even get here then… Stanley curled up, hugging himself and resting his head on his knees. He was crying now. He had really messed this one up, hadn’t he? The Narrator could remember the restarts that happened (other than anything that had happened before the "confusion ending", which he only slightly remembered happening due to the Adventure Line™ being seen by Stanley through a window in the office), which means any attempt of asking the Narrator about the door to the left of his office would be futile. He'd probably hate Stanley now, right? It’s not like he could tell the Narrator that he knew because, well, he wasn’t even supposed to remember resets and other “endings” as he had started to call them. He had trapped himself. And now he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about everything he had done wrong and every bad thing that had seen and been through. Why did he care? Why did he care about the Narrator? Stanley felt himself start to get dizzy. Then suddenly he felt a hard desk under his head. He didn’t move. He was back in his office, which means there was a restart, right? Where was the Narrator then…? Did Stanley get rid of him forever by accident?

“Oh, this is too depressing even for me. Stanley, come on.” Stanley’s head snapped up and he stared at the ceiling, tears still spilling down his cheeks. “Yes, yes I’m here you can stop now.” The Narrator’s sudden speaking had startled him. Stanley started to sign so quickly that the Narrator could barely understand him. “Slow down, Stanley. Good lord, I can barely understand a word you’re saying.” He didn’t think the Narrator would actually respond to him signing. The last time he tried to talk to the Narrator like this he just pretended not to know sign language (despite responding to rude things Stanley said with a scoff and a sarcastic remark back). Now it seemed he didn’t really care about pretending, not when Stanley was so upset.

“ _Have you been here the whole time_? _”_ Stanley repeated slower.

“No, there was a game restart... which you wouldn't know, would you? Well, I’m not sure what caused it, but-- Stanley? Stanley, why are you crying again? Did-Did I say something wrong?”

 _“No, it’s just,”_ Stanley’s hands shook as he signed, making whatever he was saying almost too hard to figure out, _"I’m glad you’re back. I missed you."_ Stanley composed himself quickly but he knew that his eyes were puffy and red. It most likely wasn't a pretty sight. He rubbed at his eyes with his sleeves to try and make himself look better but he had a feeling he didn't, just from the Narrator's silence. The Narrator's voice wobbled when he found his voice and spoke next, making Stanley cringe.

“Yes, well. You’re the one who trapped me in that office.” It was his fault, and he knew it well. He teared up again and looked down, biting his lip. He had managed to pull himself together with a few deep breaths but his guilt wouldn’t have been contained so easily. He hated that he missed the Narrator and felt bad for leaving him, but here he was. If you had told him that this would happen, say, 8 restarts ago, Stanley probably wouldn't have believed you. 

“ _I’m sorry._ ” He stood up, getting ready to face whatever ending they would face next. Which one did he want to do…? Unimportant, at least at the moment.

“You’re… Nevermind that, the past is in the past. Let’s get on with the story, yes?” He cleared his throat. “You’re quite the over-dramatic one, Stanley.”

“ _Says the one almost crying over me saying I missed him and that I’m sorry._ ” Stanley wiped his face and left his room, taking his time so he could get a bit of a longer conversation in before they really got the story started.

“I- I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about.” Stanley could hear the embarrassment in the Narrator's voice. Stanley knew from how long he had spent with the Narrator that the man was the kind of person to push up their glasses to hide their blush, and that's exactly what he thought the Narrator was doing right now. His thoughts were slightly confirmed by the way the Narrator's voice was muffled for a moment. “Besides, at least I’m not actually cr-- Oh, are you saying something?”

 _“Do you have glasses?”_ He didn’t know why he imagined the Narrator with glasses. It was a random question that seemingly caught the Narrator off guard as they reached the two doors.

“I suppose I would if I had a physical form.”

 _“You don’t have a physical form?”_ Stanley chose the right door.

“Stanley, could you at least choose the correct door while we’re having a conversation?” The Narrator sighed. “No, I do not have a physical form. Why are you asking me all these questions?”

 _“I only asked two. And I just want to talk to you. The script was getting…”_ Stanley paused and decided against calling the script boring as he was about to do. He didn't want to insult the Narrator like that, especially after being so afraid of losing him. _“I wanted to talk to you. At least you show actual emotion when you aren’t reading from the script.”_

“You- You wanted to talk to me?” Stanley shrugged in response, not even bothering to look around the lounge. He had a plan. Not a good one, but a plan. “Wait, Stanley, does this mean… You can remember the other…?” The Narrator trailed off and Stanley assumed it was because the Narrator remembered every ending that they had gone through. The ones where he had killed Stanley.

 _“At a loss for words?”_ Stanley asked, hoping the Narrator could see his hands the way he was standing. “ _Yeah. Yeah I do. That’s all I want to get into right now since none of it was exactly fun.”_ The Narrator was strangely silent as Stanley made his way through the rooms, not even scolding him as he walked through the warehouse instead of going to the room he was supposed to. He thought that maybe the Narrator hadn’t seen his hands or… maybe he fell asleep at his desk? Well no, he didn’t sleep so that couldn’t be right. And the Narrator always saw what Stanley was saying… it was almost creepy. So why wasn’t he saying anything? _It really is odd_ , Stanley noted, _since the Narrator always says_ _something_ _about what I’m doing_. He knew the Narrator wasn’t gone because he could hear soft, almost inaudible shaky breathing behind the… mic? He wasn’t sure how the Narrator talked to him if he didn’t have a physical form. Stanley got onto the platform and glanced over at the catwalk. It was pretty far away but… he could probably make it right? It started to move and Stanley took a deep breath. Then he jumped. There was a sudden loud but muffled, “Oh bloody hell-” and it made Stanley chuckle.

"Stanley, be careful! You could have hurt yourself and another game restart would _not_ be ideal right now." The Narrator sounded extremely concerned.

 _"Done with the silent treatment now, Narrator?"_ Stanley grinned, his heart racing. He wasn’t sure if it was from the adrenaline of jumping off the moving platform or from finally hearing the Narrator talk again. _"I knew that would get your attention."_ The Narrator let out a long sigh.

"You really are quite the troublemaker, aren't you?" The small hint of affection in the Narrator’s voice just made Stanley smile wider. He shrugged.

 _"It's what I do best.”_ Stanley kept walking. He knew exactly where to go, the Narrator didn’t have to say anything really. It took a few seconds for it to hit the Narrator but when it did, it sounded like it hit him hard.

“Stanley,” The Narrator started, his voice shaking too much for it to be unnoticeable, “Stanley, where are you going?” He knew this path well, Stanley knew. Unfortunately Stanley had gone this way a few times on purpose, knowing that it would strip the Narrator of any happiness he had left. Stanley looked up and gave a reassuring smile as he signed his response.

“ _Don’t worry, Narrator. It’ll be fine._ ” Stanley didn’t really know if that was true. He wasn’t sure if the parable would eventually force him to go to the stairs, but he would burn that bridge if he ever got to it. He came across two doors. A red one and a blue one.

“Stanley came across two doors. He walked through the blue door.” A change in script. Interesting, since the Narrator had never done that before. Even the other changes in other endings… some of them _were_ scripted. When Stanley didn’t move and just looked over at the red door, it caused the Narrator to become more distressed. “Stanley went through the _blue door_. Please, Stanley.” There was a moment where Stanley hesitated at the desperation in the Narrator’s voice. He almost did as he was told and walked through the blue door. But he knew what his plan was and he needed the Narrator to trust him. They both needed a moment to stop and he knew it. So he shook his head.

“ _Trust me._ ” Stanley walked forward and through the red door. A shaky breath and the turning of pages. The Narrator was genuinely afraid.

“The door behind Stanley was still open. If he… If he wanted to turn back, now was the time to do it.” The Narrator tried desperately to make Stanley turn around. He knew the outcome and he now knew that Stanley knew the outcome. _Why would Stanley walk directly into his own demise on purpose?_ The Narrator wondered as he helplessly watched it happen. _Is this Stanley’s revenge for all the awful endings he’s been put through?_ He let Stanley walk around in the looping hallway for a moment, hoping Stanley would change his mind and ask to leave. When he didn’t, the Narrator silently opened the door to the star room. His favorite room.

 _“Finally. It takes a bit longer to get here than I remember. That looping hallway sure is something.”_ Stanley sighed and sat down, leaning against the invisible barrier around the platform. He almost spoke, but he couldn’t really find the words that he wanted to say, so he stopped and let his hands fall into his lap. He could finally rest, even if it was just for a moment. He knew he would never get out of this place. Not without help, at least. And as he thought about it, he realized that now more than ever, he needed the Narrator by his side. _“Narrator?”_ He hadn’t heard from the Narrator in quite a while, actually… he was still here, right? _Did he leave me?_ He tried to ignore the anxiety that left a pit in his stomach and kept himself (at least visibly) calm. “ _You here?_ ”

“Yes, yes. I’m still here. I apologize if I frightened you, Stanley. I’m just thinking about things.” The Narrator flipped a page and Stanley could hear his sharp-sounding pencil scratching on the paper. Something else that was odd considering the lack of a physical form. Stanley would have to ask about it later. “How much do you remember, if you don’t mind talking about that now.” Stanley closed his eyes and cringed. _Too much._

“ _Everything after the ‘confusion ending’ thing. I forgot everything after one of the restarts other than a few details and… I assume you did too. I know I’ve gone through this ending a few times._ ” Stanley pursed his lips and took a deep breath. _“On purpose.”_ He was signing extremely slow and he hoped that the Narrator could string it all together. “ _And I’m sorry._ ” Genuinely apologizing one more time, Stanley ignored the stairs that appeared on his left. He knew where they led.

“All I wanted was to be happy.” The Narrator said softly. That was the softest Stanley had ever heard his voice. “With you.” It really did break Stanley’s heart. The Narrator cleared his throat. “I’m sorry too, Stanley. What I’ve done,” he paused, “What I’ve done doesn’t deserve forgiveness. But I would like you to know that I’m stuck here just as much as you are. I didn’t trap you here.” Stanley knew he shouldn’t just take the Narrator’s word. But after the last ending, he didn’t really even care. At least he wasn’t alone. He closed his eyes and pulled his legs up to his chest. Speaking of his chest, it felt so odd. Hollow, almost. Like his heart had been removed.

 _“Come down here with me. You should see this too.”_ It was sloppy and, since his eyes were closed, slightly all over the place when he said this. _“I know it would make you happier after everything we’ve done to each other.”_ The Narrator understood him anyways. Was what he was suggesting even possible? Stanley had no clue. He didn't really think about it in the moment. The Narrator _was_ god-like (or so he claimed). There had to be some way for him to give himself a form to come down and see Stanley, even if it was only for a short time.

“Oh, Stanley I don’t think that's a good idea. And if you _should_ choose to…” The Narrator trailed off. So Stanley was right. There was a way for him to do it, he was just too scared to. Maybe there were other factors to it too. Maybe the Narrator never even considered the possibility of it being able to happen, or maybe he just assumed it was useless to even try because Stanley wouldn't remember it anyways. But again, Stanley didn't really think it was worth thinking about at the time.

 _“I won’t. Promise.”_ And then it was silent for a long time. Stanley thought he had done something wrong. Caused the Narrator to finally be gone again. It was only a matter of time, right? Stanley didn’t hear the sound of footsteps walking up the stairs. _“Did I say something bad?”_

“Stanley, I’m right here.” The Narrator’s voice was much closer than Stanley remembered it being. He opened his eyes to look up at the ceiling, but what he saw was a man that looked around his age, maybe slightly older, standing right in front of him. "That took quite a bit longer than I thought it would... I would have given you more warning if I knew it would take me this long." Stanley blinked a few times and scanned the man’s face. Then he pointed to the man and up at the ceiling. “Yes, Stanley. Who else could it be? You aren’t any brighter in person.” The man... _The_ _Narrator_ rolled his eyes. Stanley noted that his irises were green, blue and red and they almost looked like LED displays on a computer screen. 

_“Nice eyes.”_ Stanley said it sort of absentmindedly, his hands moving on their own as he studied the Narrator’s features. Slicked back brown hair that was starting to grey, tanned skin, eye bags and glasses. He had slight stubble as well. He wore a sweater vest over a long sleeved work shirt and… Oh, he was staring. Stanley’s face flushed and he looked down, trying to hide his blush. He couldn’t believe he got caught staring at the Narrator… among other things he couldn’t believe.

“Well, thank you, Stanley. Um, it- Would it be okay if I sat down next to you?” Stanley looked up, his ears still fairly red. It took everything in him to not just stand up and pull the Narrator into a hug. It had been so long since he had seen another person. Stanley patted the spot next to him with an inviting smile. The Narrator sat down and looked up at the ceiling, his eyes sparkling with a light Stanley never imagined that he would have. “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” Stanley watched the Narrator’s amazed expression with a soft smile. _Yeah, it is._

They would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing the Narrator talking is fun. Once again, sorry if it's a bit OOC because it's hard to write for these two imo but maybe that's just me. Ignore the weird plot hole where the Narrator just like... says things regarding the last ending assuming Stanley is going to remember it. He's just sort of freaked out about why Stanley was literally sobbing (and why Stanley is asking questions off script) so he's not thinking about why Stanley seems to remember past events until Stanley mentions how he thinks the script is boring. Idk I didn't write this too well but whatever.
> 
> If anyone wants me to continue I guess you could just let me know but I kinda like where it was left off. I hope you enjoyed reading this! If you liked this, you could hypothetically subscribe to me and stick around for more of my writing, since unsubscribing is always free- Haha kidding. All I ask is that you don't be rude to me if you don't like this lol. 
> 
> Have a good day/night and take care of yourself! <333


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